Adolescence: Neuro/cognitive changes

Flashcards created to help review key concepts related to neuro/cognitive changes during adolescence.

What characterises adolescence?

Biological changes, changes in cognitive performance, and changes in familial relationships.

What is the significance of white matter in the brain?

White matter allows neurons to communicate, and it increases during learning, promoting efficient signal transmission and cognitive functioning.

When does total cerebral volume peak in females and males?

Total cerebral volume peaks just prior to adolescence (~10 years) in females and during adolescence (~14 years) in males.

What are Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operations.

What is hypothetical thinking according to Piaget?

The ability to imagine how the world could be, and to anticipate outcomes based on logical reasoning.

How does hypothetical thinking impact adolescents?

It allows them to reflect on potential differences between the ideal and actual self, enhancing self-identity.

What research by Guttentag and Ferrell (2008) illustrates developmental differences in hypothetical thinking?

Only teenagers and adults were able to imagine a hypothetical scenario to avoid regret, whereas children did not.

What is the role of the corpus callosum in adolescence?

It connects the brain hemispheres, and its development is associated with improved cognitive functioning during childhood and adolescence.

What advances in imaging technology allow for the examination of white matter?

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) that images fibrous microstructures of the brain through the diffusion of water at cellular levels.

How does increased white matter correlate with cognitive ability?

More anisotropic white matter correlates with memory, language, and higher IQ.

How is white matter involved in learning?

The axions within white matter allow for communication between the brain regions, facilitating the transfer of information, and there is a significant increase in white matter throughout adolescents, which supports enhanced learning capabilities and cognitive processing.

Is it white matter or overall brain volume which increases markedly during adolescence?

White matter significantly increases during adolescents, overall brain matter does not - it stays relatively stable due to the significant increase in white matter and decrease in grey matter.

Why does white matter increase during adolescent development?

White matter increases due to ongoing myelination and strengthening of long-range neural connections. This supports faster processing and improved cognitive control.

What happens to grey matter during adolescent development?

Grey matter decreases reflecting synaptic pruning—the refinement and removal of unused neural connections.

White matter connects brain hemispheres - how does the corpus callosum change over childhood and adolescence? - provide a reference

The corpus callosum increases and develops significantly over childhood and adolescence -

Childhood - overall size and thickness as axons become more myelinated

Adolescence - shows continued myelination, increases in fiber density, and improved structural integrity.

(Lenroot et al. 2007) - evident over 20 year span from 4 to 24

How does change in the corpus callosum over childhood and adolescence effect learning?

Childhood - This early growth improves basic interhemispheric communication, supporting developing motor coordination, language, and sensory integration.

Adolescence - These microstructural improvements allow faster and more coordinated information transfer between hemispheres.

Development of higher-order cognitive functions: executive control, decision-making, abstract reasoning, and emotional regulation.

To what extent does high anisotropy account account for improved cognitive functioning in memory and language?

High anisotropy reflects the greater directionality and integrity of white matter pathways - indicates better myelination and denser axonal packing.

These properties support faster and more efficient neuronal processing - associated with cognitive functions such as memory and language.

What psychologists correlated more anisotropic white matter with memory, language and higher IQ?

Nagy et al., 2004; Schmithorst et al., 2005

To what extent do the neuro-findings support Piaget’s theory of adolescent cognitive development?

Partial but not complete support.

Piaget stage of formal operations explaining hypothetical reasoning, abstract reasoning and improved problem solving - modern findings suggest more gradual, more variable between individuals, and more dependent on experience.

Neuroimaging studies reveal structural changes in the brain during adolescence, indicating that cognitive development may be less stage-like and more influenced by environmental and experiential factors.

Does Guttentag and Ferrell (2008) study on developmental differences agree with Piaget’s theory?

Yes - partial

They investigated the differences in hypothetical reasoning between children, adolescents and adults.

Findings suggested -

Children could generate fewer possible outcomes than adolescents - they focus more on the most obvious outcome

Adolescents generated more realistic and varied outcomes reflecting better hypothetical reasoning - supporting aspects of Piaget’s theory

Does not support Piaget’s stage like shift in development but instead is more gradual and varies depending on experiences of each individual.

What use is more sophisticated cognition, particularly hypothetical thinking, during adolescence?

More sophisticated cognition, particularly hypothetical thinking, serves several important developmental processes during adolescence.

Better decision making, improved problem solving, understanding others perspectives, identity formation, moral reasoning, improved academic reasoning.

Why is better decision making from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

Hypothetical reasoning allows adolescents to anticipate possible outcomes, weigh risks and benefits, think through long term consequences rather than acting on impulse.

Why is improved problem solving from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

Enables adolescents to consider multiple solutions to a problem, how different variables might effect the outcome, abstract principles rather than just concrete facts. 

• this supports academic learning (science, maths, ethics)

Why is understanding others perspectives from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

More advanced cognition enables adolescents to imagine how others might feel, how their actions may impact relationships, alternative interpretations of social situations.

• contributes to stronger social understanding and emotional maturity

Why is identity formation from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

Hypothetical reasoning allows adolescents to explore different possibilities for their future, the consequences/ benefits of choosing one ‘path’ over the other, different values and beliefs.

• supports the development of a coherent personal identity

Why is moral reasoning from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

hypothetical reasoning enables adolescents to think about fairness justice and moral dilemmas, consider hypothetical moral outcomes, look beyond rules to underlying principles.

• this aligns with higher level moral development 

Why is improved academic performance from the result of the development of hypothetical reasoning important in adolescence?

Hypothetical reasoning enables the increased ability of abstract reasoning, hypothetical scenarios (experiments, literary analysis), evaluating multiple explanations.